Registration is now closed.
In Person
Join the nation’s largest gathering of college students and educators committed to American civic pluralism—where you’ll gain skills, inspiration, and lasting connections to bridge divides and build a more united society.
August 8-10, 2025
Chicago Marriott Downtown, Chicago, IL
Interfaith America was excited to present the 2025 Interfaith Leadership Summit theme, Chords of Democracy, which explored the intersection of music and the diverse fabric of American democracy. This theme invited participants to share stories that celebrated the contributions of a religiously diverse society while fostering a shared vision of an interfaith America.
Just as a song is composed of many distinct notes, our communities are made up of individuals with different backgrounds and perspectives. A single instrument is powerful on its own, but it is through the collaboration of many — each adding their unique sound — that a beautiful symphony is born. However, crafting this harmony required skill, practice, and a commitment to working together to create something greater than the sum of its parts.
Thank you to all who attended and helped bring this vision to life. Your presence and participation made the Summit a beautiful symphony.
INTERFAITH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2025
Chords of Democracy
Building the Stage on College Campuses
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Registration & Check in
11:30 AM – 1:15 PM Opening Lunch
Welcome from Adam Nicholas Phillips
Opening Plenary featuring Eboo Patel, Rahul Sharma, Allison Briscoe-Smith & Mark Rodgers
1:30 PM – 3:15 PM Training Session 1
3:15 PM – 3:45 PM Break
3:15 PM – 5:15 PM Training Session 2
5:30 PM – 8:00 PM Dinner & Entertainment by Moksha Arts Dance Company & Mona Golabek
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Breakfast
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Saturday Symposia
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM Break
11:15 AM – 12:45 PM Training Session 3
12:45 PM – 2:00 PM Lunch
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM Training Session 4
3:30 PM Free Time & Dinner Independently
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM Ice Cream Social
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM Breakfast
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Closing Plenary featuring Paul Lambert, Abhinav Krishnan, & Sudha Wadhwani
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Training Session 5
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch
You can find the descriptions for the tracks above and on Cvent!
Throughout the Summit, an interfaith room will be available for prayer, meditation, reflection, and more. Due to the great diversity of traditions and practices represented, IA does not provide organized services or observances at the Summit. Instead, we encourage participants to organize their own DIY reflections and observances in the interfaith room or our staff can provide information about local houses of worship and observance.
Most of what you will need for the Summit will be provided at registration and in your training rooms, though you may want to bring something to write in. There may be few opportunities during the weekend where it might be useful to have spending money. If you have any further questions about what you should bring to the Summit, please reach out at s[email protected].
Please come dressed in what makes you feel comfortable. Remember that hotels tend to pump air conditioning into the conference spaces all day, so even though it is summer in Chicago it will be wise to wear warmer clothes and maybe even bring a sweater. On Sunday, we hope everyone will wear their conference t-shirts to commemorate the interfaith leadership skills they have developed over the weekend.
Registration is now closed.
No, we do not offer on-site registration. Early Bird registration will close May 31st, 2025 and regular registration will close July 1st, 2025.
Registration includes a Summit t-shirt and covers your training for the weekend and the following meals: Friday lunch & dinner, Saturday breakfast & lunch, and Sunday breakfast & lunch. Lodging and travel costs are not included.
Registration fees:
Early bird registration opens April 1st and runs through May 31st reducing the cost of attendance to $199 for students and $299 for educators. Registration then remains open until July 1st at $299 for students and $399 for educators.
Check your inbox and spam folder for your registration confirmation, which is automatically emailed from [email protected] once the registration form is completed.
Interfaith America recognizes that, due to various circumstances, the cost of attending the Summit may not be feasible for everyone who wishes to attend. Because we do not want cost to be a hindrance to engaging with interfaith leadership, IA has limited lodging scholarships available for students and educators. Here is the link to the application!
If your campus has not attended the Summit (formerly the ILI) within the past 5 years, you are eligible to receive 2 free registrations! Email [email protected] to see if you are eligible and receive your discount code.
Our system does have group registration capabilities, which allows you to register more than one person under a single transaction. This feature appears on the Registration Summary page during the process. Please note that our registration does include personal questions ranging from demographic information to dietary restrictions to accessibility needs.
Friday, August 8th – Sunday, August 10th, 2025
Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
540 North Michigan Avenue, (Driveway Entrance on 541 North Rush Street)
Chicago, Illinois, USA, 60611
Rooms are available at a discounted rate of $189/night plus tax and fees for the nights of August 7 – 10 at the host venue of the Summit, the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile. Rooms will be available for reservation until July 17th or until they sell out. Please use this link to book.
You can modify or cancel your reservation on the Marriott website until three days before the group arrival. Please contact the hotel at 1-877-303-0104 for changes within five days of arrival.
Both Chicago airports, O’Hare International Airport (15 miles from the hotel) and Midway International Airport (12 miles from the hotel), are roughly equidistant from downtown Chicago and have taxis, rideshares, and public transportation available.
Public Transit Resources:
The Amtrak Station is located at Union Station in Chicago, located at South Canal Street, Chicago, IL 60606. The train station is approximately 1.8 miles from the hotel. Taxis are available and CTA buses run between Union Station and the Sheraton. If you’re interested in taking public transportation from Union Station, please use the CTA trip planner.
Our college and university educator tracks are a 3-day training experience in which participants stay in the same cohort for the entire summit.
Our undergraduate student tracks are a 3-day training experience in which participants stay in the same cohort for the entire summit.
Take Foundations of Interfaith Leadership online and at your own pace before you arrive in Chicago. This course provides essential pre-requisite information for the training you’ll receive at the Summit. After taking a couple hours to complete it, you’ll be a step ahead in your training sessions, AND you’ll be eligible for a Certificate in Interfaith Leadership. Sign up here and use code InterfaithFoundations100 to receive free access to the course.
Questions? Contact [email protected]
interfaith Leadership Summit
Visit the Cvent website to learn more about the 2025 Summit.
Please contact us with any questions about the Summit.
Noa Nakao
Manager of Student Experience
Interfaith America
Copyright @ 2024 Interfaith America. All Rights Reserved. Interfaith America is 501 (c)(3) non-profit recognized by the IRS. Tax ID Number: 30-0212534